I invite you to read it here.

Hershey Licensed jewelry at JA Show, July 2010

My story for Elle.com has not gone live yet. There were some technical issues that need addressing and when a link is available, I’ll be sure to post it.

Today was the last day of the Jewelers of America Show at the Jacobs Javits Center in NYC. Walking the aisles is a treasure hunt. I found everything, including Hershey licensed kisses, and no, these may not feed your chocolato-fix, however they are scrumptious nonetheless. Then there was CJ Recht’s new line of porcupine rings with comfortable square shanks that were so brilliantly done you could wear them as a ring or a pendant. Recht’s pieces have the sensibility  of a true metalsmith, her designs evolve from an understanding of what metal can do, and how those properties may be exploited. She’s created bangle bracelets that recall the silhouette of a gothic arch. Now I’ve never been one for the drama of architecture so often featured in thrillers and murder mysteries, but these cool and wonderfully crafted pieces hang off the wrist more comfortably than a traditionally designed bracelet — a huge surprise. If you are looking for a great pair of bangles that depart from the ubiquitous offerings seen on runways in recent years past, go for these. You won’t be disappointed. And Recht works them in different metals and finishes so the client can create her own look. Love this.

Emerging artisan, Nancy Edwards, crafted a metal intense moth double finger ring for which I fell hard. I loved the way she treated coloration, employing polished and darkened surfaces to achieve, if not a realistic sense, a balance in characterization. If I hadn’t already bought a bold, double-duty piece from Rebekah Price (more on this in another post), I would have splashed out on this hand-enhancing object.

Moth double finger ring by Nancy Edwards

Gina Pankowski of Lattis Design creates jewelry with unusual shapes with movement that unwittingly stirs the senses. The intelligence behind her architecturally inspired and engineered pieces is clearly evident, elements fit together like pieces of a puzzle and in some cases you cannot make out where it begins or ends. Her “Swell” Bracelet should collapse, but does not, instead it rolls inside out so that a thread of gold floats over and under its silver mantle. How does Pankowski do this? Magic, I guess. She is represented by my friends at Aaron Faber Gallery and you can see her jewelry in their elegant space.

A quick summary of The Fourth Annual Antique Jewelry and Watch Show that took place last Friday and ended this past Monday. It was a bustle of attendees and many of my friends were busy showing the beautiful things they brought for sale. A few pics of the fun stuff are below. Much of the jewelry was very high end, rare, and covetable. Actually more than covetable, they were wearable. Not everything you see at these events falls into that category because it is so costly and not necessarily the kind of thing you find yourself reaching for on a daily basis. But there were fabulous 1960s and ‘70s pieces of superb calibre, eighteenth century rose-cut diamond rings and earrings tdf (to die for), and great investment vintage watches — like a Bulgari that wraps around the wrist — totally innovative and contemporary. All of them not as wallet-prying as you might think, and as modern as anything produced just yesterday. It’s not the age of design, but how the design ages that really matters.

Edwardian necklace and other jewelry, Fourth Annual Antique Jewelry and Watch Show 7/2010

I attended the fourth annual Antique Jewelry and Watch Show at The Metropolitan Pavilion this afternoon (it goes on through Monday). Literally almost walked right into fashion writer nonpareil, Lynn Yeager. I excused myself, and then tossed a shout out of admiration in her general direction, which she graciously and genuinely acknowledged with a huge, “Thank you so much!” That exchange made my day.

You have to love people who collect vintage jewelry. Lynn is among them. How can you not be happy perusing the stalls and having the opportunity to try on a rare 18th century brooch, an original David Webb, Buccelatti, or VCA. Sometimes there is a find among finds, but in truth, the hunt and peck is the ultimate in weekend pursuits. If you are in NYC, please go. It’s going to a steamy day tomorrow and this is a fun way to spend a few cool hours.

More on the show anon…with a few images too.

John Paul Gaultier Couture Fall 2010

So the mystery of my absence from the blog last week may now be solved: I was working on an exclusive story for Elle.com’s new channel. The launch will take place this week and when my story goes live, I’ll post a link. I had the opportunity to work with Executive Accessories Editor, Kate Davidson Hudson, who is as gracious and professional as she is lovely. I’m afraid that the subject matter will have to remain a secret until it is published. Still, I’ll can (and will) let you in on a little secret: Jewelry is about to get very bold — and perhaps just a bit wild too. The ring on JPG’s couture fall runway is the  beginning of trends to come…

Over the weekend, I’ll be reporting on The Fourth Annual New York Antique Jewelry and Watch Show which begins this Friday. Then the Jeweler’s of America Show opens Sunday. There will be lots to talk about…

HOWEVER. There are some ideas that work only in theory — in the mind, and perhaps across the conference table. J.Crew is known for cool, subdued chic. Miriam Haskell, not at all. MH jewelry is all about fantasy and over-the-top, lush details. Famespy.com, lifting a quote from a WWD article about the collection, reports J.Crew’s Creative Director and avid MH collector, Jenna Lyons, who  has styled pieces from her own collection in the company’s catalogs, as saying,

“We want the bride to look gorgeous and we’re not about giant, overwhelming cupcake dresses,” Lyons said. “It’s about simplicity in silhouettes and pairing it with great jewelry pieces.”

The jewelry takes center stage at a wedding? Since when? Isn’t this a funny/ironic/strange thing to promote if your primary objective is to glorify J.Crew’s bridal couture? And more importantly, any kind of adornment worn for one’s nuptials should emphatically highlight, underscore, and in all other ways, enhance the bride without overstatement. Never, ever, should it outshine her. I’m all for simplicity in dress, be it wedding or any formal occasion, and I even love the occasional “cupcake” ensemble, depending on who is wearing it and how. Wedding jewelry may seem public, but is probably the most uniquely private choice the bride makes with regard to how she would like to be perceived. Which why this collaboration feels in many ways a little off kilter. There is no balance between the J.Crew bridal aesthetic and the jewelry. It’s all and nothing. Something akin to putting whipped cream on a home-made, delicate and delicious sugar cookie. The combination isn’t awful — it is just too much and too little to really create a sensation that lingers on the tongue and in the memory.

What I think could be a more comprehensive idea is having Miriam Haskell create a line for J.Crew that blends their sensibilities. When you have two extremes, meeting someplace in the middle can be a really productive place to begin. From there you can tweak the designs to the left or right, up the glam factor by addition, or lower the wattage by subtraction, depending on the look you desire, and taking into consideration the simple silhouettes Lyons alluded to above. It also might be a good idea to help the bride with building a great jewelry wardrobe that can be worn with the company’s collections before and AFTER the wedding.

Is this concept a one-off? Given its pricey price point, this foray into the vintage-done-for-today comes off in some measure as ersatz for J.Crew, and not necessarily a bridal shopping experience that is exclusive or unique. Miriam Haskell, after her death and sale of the company, is producing jewelry again. And let’s not forget that authentic vintage pieces, the Holy Grail of collectibility, may be had at similar cost (or, possibly lower, if you are very clever), and will likely retain or even improve in value in the long run. The efforts of this collaboration may not see newsworthy auction estimates for a very long time…if ever.

Diamonds owned and worn by Marie Antoinette. Smithsonian Institution

Diamond necklace Napoleon presented to his second wife, Marie Louise. Smithsonian Institution

I spent the last three days in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, with my family. We visited The Smithsonian’s Gem Hall. It’s a pilgrimage I make every time I’m in the city. As per usual, the lines were long and crowded, two deep, to view Marie Antoinette’s diamonds as well as the necklace Napoleon gave to his second wife, Marie Louise. The gems never cease to mesmerize and remind me that all of these wildly colorful and brilliant geodes are an accident of nature. This is imperfection at its most perfect moment.

The jewels, blinking in their cases like stars stolen from the nighttime sky, astound with the power of their presence, historical narratives, and certainly by their unparalleled beauty. The Hope Diamond was displayed unmounted from its famous white diamond setting. Viewing the stone sans its dazzling surround really offers a rare perspective. Its depth of color is round, full, and sumptuous, not unlike a Beaux-Arts chaise covered in midnight blue mohair-velvet. One just wants to sink deeply into that heavenly plush and wallow within it’s confines.

On an unexpected note: QVC and The Smithsonian will be collaborating on a jewelry collection this coming fall. The pieces will be reproduced from the museum’s holdings, including Marie Antoinette’s diamonds (which were  later re-set into the mountings you see here), and the Hope Diamond. Plus ca change, plus c’est le meme chose.

The Hope Diamond. Smithsonian Institution

GemKitty.com’s Emma earrings, gemstones selected by Lori Ettlinger Gross (www.jewelhistory.com)

The earrings arrived just yesterday, beautifully wrapped, boxed, and beribboned. The packaging was lovely and gift-worthy. Once I got past the presentation, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with my own handiwork — the combination of gemstones turned out exactly as I had planned: a pretty summer palatte that would provide a light shot of color, yet blend with my coloring and act as a neutral when it came to my clothes. The one thing I hadn’t anticipated is that I didn’t care for the way the earring fit my frame. Somehow with my short, boyish do, the length of the earring was a bit off, a tad long and didn’t fall along my neck gracefully but swung away from it. The fault in that was mine and mine alone.  I choose a style of earring that was more gem-intense so that I could get a better sense of  the quality of the stones. which was good, not great.

I ordered an orange jasper 8mm round bead at the top, and Amazonite 12mm faceted briolettes for the bottom, the whole set in sterling silver. The stones are very included (which means they have a lot going inside the gem, the less inclusions in a gemstone, the more desirable it is as far as value and beauty) That being said, the earrings sell for  around fifty-five dollars, not inexpensive, however you are paying to have them made with your selection of gem color, and they are crafted by hand in Portland, OR — not mass manufactured in a factory in Asia. The workmanship for these simple earring is quite nice, the wires are tightly and neatly wound, there isn’t any ragged edges or scratchy wires hanging around. The findings come with little stoppers so that the earring doesn’t slip off your lobe — a very thoughtful plus since taking t-shirts and sweaters on and off can sometimes grab the earring with the garment and pull it off your ear. I’ve nearly lost a couple in dressing rooms that way.

As I was inspecting and trying on the earrings, there was that one unabating question, “Aren’t these available elsewhere, and at a lower price point?” That, as it turns out, is a more difficult question to answer because this is a product in which you, the customer, participate in its manufacture. That will always up the ante. Yes, the style is fairly common, and in fact all four earring designs are rather straightforward — you certainly couldn’t call them proprietary. If GemKitty could create something really unique in terms of design, perhaps a day and night earring (an old 18th century style) where you could wear the top separately and then add the bottom at will, that would really set them apart on many levels. The price for a custom-color selected, American-made, earring of this genre would cost more, but then they would be offering both a service and style that couldn’t be purchased elsewhere.

All in all, I like GemKitty’s concept. The website is easy to navigate, and shipped out  and arrived in a timely manner. The choice of sterling silver findings is nice, the gold-filled version is ok, it would be better to have a vermeil (gold over sterling silver) choice instead. The idea of involving the customer in the design is absolutely fantastic, and if you are looking for an earring or necklace to work with a special outfit, this is an option that just might come in handy. The odds of seeing someone in the same dress you bought at one of the big box stores make be likely, however pairing that little number with earrings in which you had a hand in designing will make the look all the more yours.

As for this Working Girl Collectible post, the focus is on vintage watches. While I love and wear men’s watches, on my petite wrist they just don’t pass the seductive test for evening wear or even slightly-dressier wear. In a world where watches are no longer a necessity — they’ve become a fashion statement more than anything else — one  that is distinctive, beautifully made, and vintage is another way of assembling a great jewelry collection. The examples below are all taken from Aaron Faber Gallery’s website. A couple of them are men’s watches; they sported an androgynous attitude so I included them in the mix. Ladies vintage watches are often less expensive than their masculine counterparts, and  there are wonderful choices in terms of design too. A signed watch is always nice, but if you are just beginning to collect them, don’t be overly concerned about acquiring a top drawer name. This is where working with a reputable and knowledgeable dealer is a good idea. Once you’ve become familiar with what you like and the market for that watch genre, you are off to a great start investing in some old-school style.

Pink Gold Cocktail Watch — Aaron Faber Gallery

Blue Dial Rolex Datejust — Aaron Faber Gallery

Bulova Curved Drivers Watch — Aaron Faber Gallery

Patek Philippe 1940s Cocktail Watch — Aaron Faber Gallery

Have a lovely weekend!